Rebel Africa refuses visa to France
Mali has taken a decision that will be a lesson for its former colonizer, France. Mali, declared a "red zone" by France, announced that it has stopped issuing visas to French citizens on the basis of reciprocity. France had issued a travel warning to Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
The African country Mali has taken an important decision showing France that it is now an independent state. Mali's Foreign Ministry responded to the French Foreign Ministry, which classified Mali as a "red zone" on the grounds of "serious regional tensions", by announcing that it would not issue visas to French citizens.
In the statement, it was announced that Mali will not issue visas to French citizens until further notice in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs had issued a travel warning to Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso on August 7 after Mali and Burkina Faso supported the coup in Niger.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In Niger, President Mohamed Bazum was detained by elements of the Presidential Guard Regiment on July 26 and the military announced the seizure of power that evening.
On July 28, General Abdurrahmane (Omar) Tchiani, commander of the Presidential Guard Regiment, assumed the leadership of the junta called the National Council for the Protection of the Homeland (CNSP) and became the head of the transitional government.
Following the military coup in Niger, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave the military junta a 7-day deadline on July 30 to release President Mohammed Bazum and return him to office.
Although ECOWAS announced that they would consider all options, including military intervention, if their demands were not met within this period, they did not launch a military operation at the end of the deadline.
The possibility of military intervention drew the reaction of other junta governments in West Africa.
In a joint statement, Burkina Faso and Mali, where military governments are in power, warned ECOWAS that military intervention in Niger would mean declaring war on them.
Source: Anadolu Agency
